Games: So, Heavy Rain. Pretty much everyone has at least heard of this game by now whether they play or not. It's been all over Twitter and the Internet, it's been featured in dozens of magazines, both game-related and otherwise, and the vast majority of people I know have either just finished it, are playing it right now, or are about to start it. Regardless of anything else, no one can deny that Heavy Rain has got some serious presence.

I got my copy in the mail yesterday and was thanking my lucky stars that I wasn’t going to be incredibly late to the party with this one. In most cases I don't really feel much impetus to keep up with the Joneses... I've got quite a backlog of things to go through that's only getting bigger all the time, and GameCritics doesn't live or die by being the first with coverage. However, I was a big fan of developer Quantic Dream’s first console game, Indigo Prophecy, and Heavy Rain looks like nothing so much as that title taken to the next level. My eagerness to jump into it was pretty high to start with for that reason alone, but there was also another reason why I was keen to play it sooner rather than later: the possibility of having the plot inadvertently spoiled.

On this issue, there seems to be two major camps: those who are absolutely anti-spoiler, and those who think that trying to discuss games without revealing the important details of the plot is silly, or at least, inconsequential to the greater experience of actually playing. My personal take on the matter? I am definitely of the belief that people should respect others’ rights to not be spoiled, and if a review or article is going to reveal relevant details, there should be (at the very least) an attention-grabbing spoiler warning before there's any chance of accidental exposure.

That's not to say that I don't think plot details should ever be discussed, but I firmly believe that having foreknowledge of a game's contents absolutely has an effect on the degree of immersion, discovery, suspense and ultimately, the enjoyment of the player. It's really no different than reading a book or watching a film-- the craft and care put into quality works means that partaking of them will still be pleasurable after they've been read or watched, but it's impossible to deny that repeat visits are fundamentally different than the first. Heavy Rain is probably the ultimate example of this, videogame-wise. Unfortunately, I was spoiled in a couple of ways.

The first? After starting Heavy Rain yesterday, I became engaged in the drama almost immediately, but ran into several technical problems during gameplay. A few times the audio skipped (which was annoying, but I have the subtitles turned on so no information was lost) but a more significant issue was that the game froze multiple times, necessitating several complete restarts. Upon being faced with repeating sections I had already completed, it was amazing to me how something that was interesting and fascinating the first time became tedious and tiresome the second time around. With the unknown stripped away, my sense of being in the moment was completely gone and it was all I could do to push through the parts I had already seen to get back to where I had left off before the game froze.

That sensation of being unwillingly quasi-spoiled due to data loss was bad enough, but not exactly a true spoiler in the proper sense of the term. However, on a larger level, I actually did feel somewhat robbed of the full impact that could have been delivered thanks to the little bit of knowledge I had about the game prior to ever playing.

Although I've done everything I could possibly do to avoid Heavy Rain plot spoilers short of disconnecting the Internet from my home and wearing a blindfold and earplugs for days on end, this game has been so pervasive that it's been practically impossible to not learn something about its content. As a result, the power of the prologue and some of the chapters immediately afterwards (freezes notwithstanding) were not nearly as significant as they would have been had I not known anything about the game prior to sitting down with it. Rather than following along with the story as it unfolded, I couldn't help but instead wonder when X,Y,Z was going to happen. Rather than being caught by surprise, I was anticipating the events and was therefore less moved when they actually occurred.

I realize that it's not realistic to spotlight a game without discussing any aspect of it, but Heavy Rain lives and dies by its plot and the impact of its scenes, and I definitely believe the game can be promoted and discussed without anyone spilling anything that would potentially detract from someone else's enjoyment of it. Although this game is certainly the ultimate example of why spoilers are bad thing, I think the same goes for just about any other game that features a storyline or dramatic elements. Seeing a great blockbuster scene for the first time, coming across a scary enemy, or being hit with a mindbending plot twist without any prior knowledge of its existence is something completely different than having heard about it, read about it, seen a picture of it in a magazine, or watched a video of it on the Internet.

Spoiler warnings may not carry the same significance to all players, but to those of us who care, we're glad that they're there – being spoiled is like having someone else make a decision for you without your consent and being deprived of an experience that's impossible to reclaim. You can’t un-see something… you can’t un-know it. Call me silly or outdated, but I’ll never be okay with careless spoilers. Though I was unsuccessful in experiencing Heavy Rain in a totally pure, absolutely unspoiled way, I’m glad to say that I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen later in the game -- and I’m doing everything I can to keep it that way.

Games: First up tonight, a funny little video about the BioShock 2 launch from my friend Chris Vandergaag over at The Side Mission. There are a few pretty good chuckles in there, so peep it if you have a chance.

Also, for those of you who can't get enough of my rambling, me and my nasally voice can be caught talking about ‘the grind’ in video games on the most recent installment (Episode 36) of the Big Red Potion podcast. I mentioned it earlier, but it's now ready to go and you can check it out.

In other news, I'm still between official reviews right now so I've got a little time to play things just for the enjoyment of it. It's kind of a treat. As a big fan of Indigo Prophecy, I plan to hit Heavy Rain along with the rest of the free world as soon as my copy arrives, but in the meantime I’m not committing to anything too involved or lengthy.

On the same topic, if you read the last entry, you'd see that I started Dead Space: Extraction on the Wii. I finished that up yesterday, and overall enjoyed it quite a bit. The graphics were very respectable (wait for it…) FOR THE WII and many of the locations were instantly recognizable from the first game. I really got the feeling of being in the same world despite the shift in genre and console. I was also honestly shocked at how much voice acting there was, and how it felt deeper than the average rail-shooter. I liked the things it added to the genre-- actually having a real story, primarily among them. (It was MUCH better than Dead Space proper.)

As a neat bonus, the disc also included the six-issue Dead Space comic book series that came out a while ago, redone in digital comic format. Having played through both games in the Dead Space series, I would recommend new players to take on Extraction first. It does a much better job of giving the player a mental context within which to work, and sets the stage beautifully for the overlong, tedious action of its big brother.

(Incidentally, I'm strongly tempted to write a review for it, but I need to keep reminding myself that I'm not on the clock…)

Having wrapped that, I felt like I was long past due to get back to the download side of things after having spent so much time with big-budget releases lately. Checking out the action on XBLA, it was a tossup between PB Winterbottom and Darwinia+… Although I liked the art style and tone of Winterbottom, the demo suggested to me that I would be in for annoyance or aggravation after getting past the first few levels. Something about setting up all those clones and timing things right struck me as something that would likely be more trouble than it was worth, so I veered the other way and put my MS points towards Darwinia+ instead. After getting through the first three levels, I haven't regretted the choice.

Although Darwinia has been out for PC for something like five years or so, I've never had any experience with it, nor heard anyone talk about it except for brief mentions in passing. With that timeline in mind, it gives a little context towards the game itself and the straightforward nature of its action.

Strongly reminiscent of Tron in many ways, the game takes place inside a virtual reality world populated by little green stick figures called (surprise!) Darwinians. They are under attack by nasty red virus programs which take the shape of different sorts of creatures that need to be killed with extreme prejudice. Each level (so far, anyway) starts off with the player guiding a group of commando programs into the landscape, shooting and grenading enemies into pixels. After clearing out each area, helper programs will gather up resources and convert them into new Darwinians that need to be herded towards an exit or other specified area.

The play itself seems quite straightforward so far as I've already said, but I think the strong point of this title is certainly its aesthetic and design. Things are constructed from neon light and obvious polygon surfaces, and all the characters are wonderfully blocky and simple-- and I do mean that in a positive way. It's actually fairly relaxing to cruise through the environment and blast these phishing and spambot programs, taking in the surreal sights at the same time. Honestly, I almost expect a lightcycle to come blazing onto the screen with a glowing trail behind it, or to see a huge Recognizer float in and smash something.

My last bit of game talk for the night has to do with a recently-released 360 title called Deadly Premonition. I don't know much about it, but there have been a few videos circulating the web which are both incredibly bad and incredibly brilliant at the same time.

Although I have yet to actually lay hands on it, I have a sneaking suspicion that it may be headed towards cult status. Apparently copies are somewhat hard to find due to the complete lack of advertising and mindshare. Its $20 budget price point probably didn't encourage retailers to order many copies, either. It may be good or it may be a waste of time, but what I've seen so far has me very intrigued. This might be one of those games that you want to track down just to say that you own it.

Idol: This week was the first week of real performances on the American Idol stage after all of the freak-show auditions and the grueling ordeal of Hollywood week. Now that the wheat has been separated from the chaff and America has gotten its first look at the top twenty-four, my gut feeling is… WOW, where the hell is all the talent?

not here

The girls didn't bring much to the stage, and the boys brought even less. Several of the performances on both sides were staggeringly awful, and even the front-runner favorites failed to deliver quality performances. I thought last year's Idol was chock-full of talent, featuring several performers who I thought could very realistically win the competition. This year, I'm not getting that same sense. Although I've got my eye on a few performers like Andrew Garcia, Lilly Scott, Didi Benami, and Katelyn Epperly (lose the hooker rags, darlin'...) most of the field so far appears to be stunningly unprepared for the spotlight.

Between the stiff presences, unbelievably bad song choices and the general lack of straight-up vocal ability, I'm afraid that this season might be something of a wash before it even gets started. Hopefully that's not the case. The pressure to perform and the new environment is understandably going to be fairly overwhelming for the average person, so my fingers are crossed that in the next few weeks these hopefuls will come into their own and start to blossom. If not, well, I've got lots of stuff saved up on my DVR.

..Games: Finished up Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (DS). The formal review is HERE if you haven't seen it already. Nothing else to say except that if you have a DS and you don't own a copy of this, you're completely missing out. Completed my review for Shiren the Wanderer (Wii) as well. That'll be up soon..In other games news, I was pretty tempted to jump back into Final Fantasy XII and log a few more hours towards completion, but I've got things to review coming up and I don't want to have to stop after a day or two..Instead, I'm opting for something a little shorter… currently on hand, I have Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (PS2) and Dead Space: Extraction (Wii). I haven't started SH:SM yet, but I'm a few levels into Extraction and I have to say that the praise people were giving it seems warranted...For those that don't know, it's an on-rails shooter that acts as a prequel to the original Dead Space. Considering that the first game was a high-gloss Survival (Action) Horror game, I have to say that the decision to create a prequel in a completely different genre on a completelydifferent system is a little puzzling, but the quality is certainly there..This time around, there's much greater emphasis on the characters and storytelling than there ever was in Dead Space, and it's appreciated. I'm no fan of the silent protagonist approach, and I think most people would agree that the story was one of the source material's weakest aspects...Although the player doesn't control much of what happens on screen besides the shooting, Extraction does a great job of capturing a "survivors trying to escape" feel. Part of it is the surprising amount of really-decent dialogue that occurs, and another element is that the developers really put a lot of effort into designing the levels and how the player's character (via first-person viewpoint) actually feels as though he is present in the environment along with the rest of the cast. It's a very conscientious approach, and more rail shooters should copy it..A quick shout-out to new site, 8Bit Horse. Although they're just getting started, it looks great and has some sweet coverage of all things 2D, both past and present. (Future, too!) Click over there, read the Karnov coverage (nostalgia GET!!) and tell them I sent you..In the last bit of game news tonight, I was invited to participate in taping another episode of the Big Red Potion podcast. The topic was ‘grinding’ in games, and without trying to sound like I'm tooting my own horn, I felt like the discussion that occurred was a really interesting, quality one. Many thanks to Sinan Kubba (@Shoinan) and Joe DeLia (@SlamVanderhuge) for having me on, and it was a pleasure to co-guest with Jared Newman (@ThePimpOfSound). It's not up yet, but I'll post a link when it's available for listening....TV: I don’t watch a lot of TV, but every once in a while I'll feel my inner potato emerging and indulge it. Although I'm still following my core programs (Burn Notice, White Collar, Sanctuary, The Office, Community, The Soup, everything on Food Network, and so on…) a new one that the wife and I stumbled across is Pawn Stars...Starring three generations of a gruff family that own an (apparently) wildly successful pawn shop, each episode is not only entertaining but educational at the same time. A wide variety of people come into the store with truly bizarre items like an iron key that’s also a gun, a metal spoon crafted by Paul Revere, or a saddle that allegedly cupped Kevin Costner’s buttocks in Dances with Wolves..While haggling, the proprietors dispense a bunch of factoids and interesting historical knowledge about each item. If something comes up that they don't know much about, they call on a varied roster of experts who show up to opine. Although it doesn't sound like the most riveting television, the crotchety characters are fairly amusing and the kind of merchandise that comes into their store is truly astonishing. I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, so if you’ve got a few minutes sometime, give it a whirl...

..Games: Earlier today, I was able to attend an online conference put on by the good people at Atlus. The subject of the meeting? 3D Dot Game Heroes for PS3...For those of you who might not be familiar, 3DDGH is essentially a loving homage to the original Legend of Zelda. Not Twilight Princess, not that new one with the train, or even anything on a 16-bit system…no, we’re talking old, old-school 8-bit Zelda. The original, groundbreaking stuff.. If you’re old enough to remember the very first excursion to Hyrule, then imagine that replicated in 3D and my work here is basically done. If you’re not old enough to remember, or for some bizarre reason owned an NES but never played it (FREAK!) then keep reading...Large overworld? Check. Screen-by-screen movement? Check. Puzzle-filled dungeons with large bosses at the end? Check. Hidden areas, upgrades, and magical swords? Check..3DDGH is not just a love letter to Zelda, though. For starters, the character editor feature looks endlessly entertaining. Although the game comes with several stock images the player can use for their avatar, they can also go their own route and create whatever they want, pixel-by-pixel. (3D or 2D!) In fact, although such action is not endorsed by Atlus, it seems quite possible to re-create pixel-perfect representations of Mario, Mega Man, Simon Belmont, or just about any other 8-bit character that comes to mind. That in itself is worth the price of admission, if you ask me...Character editor aside, I do want to say that from the portion we saw being displayed, it seems the game is more than capable of standing on its own in terms of providing a solid adventure capable of being enjoyed by anyone-- regardless of their familiarity with the source of inspiration. There's just something really satisfying and wholesome about the kind of play available here. Although I wasn't too excited for the title reading about it and watching videos, after the walk-through today, I have to admit that I was more than ready to jump in and start playing. This is definitely one going to be keeping an eye on..For those of you who care about such factoids, here is some information provided by Atlus:..> A basic run-through will take approximately 12 hours on the standard difficulty. .>Japanese DLC and new art screens are included on the disc for the US release..>A HDD install feature has been added..>The game is EXCLUSIVELY on PS3, confirmed..>Retail price will be $39.99, release date of 5/11/2010, Rated E +10..(…And yeah, I’m a shameless shill for Atlus right now. So what? The game still looks cool.).. .

..Although I'd ordinarily have a game or writing post up tonight, I'm instead going to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thanks to my fab in-laws, Bob and Mary Ann. .A wonderful pair, they've never been anything but loving and supportive since I've known them, and as someone who was a fearfully anxious prospective son-in-law, I can say that I'm endlessly grateful they made it so effortless to become a true part of their family..Unfortunately, these two live about as far away from Seattle as physically possible, and they're shipping out soon... We've got Skype video and phone calls, but it won't be the same as having them over or going out for a bite. They will be missed..Have a safe trip, you crazy kids... And come back soon...

..Games: On the Twitter feed this weekend, there were a number of people that remarked on some negativity aimed at the games journalism/reviewing field. I'm not going to do the honor of linking to any of the pieces in question because I think they’re defeatist, quitter crap, but I do have an opinion..Although it's true that there are very few paid positions that a person can afford to live off of, there are many levels of success. Anyone who aspires to make their home in this line of work has to have realistic expectations, especially when they're starting out. It’s certainly true that some people can pay the rent and put food on the table by writing about games, but the ones who manage to pull it off by submitting only one job application or sending just one query are quite rare. Most of the folks I know who are ‘living the dream’ got there by a lot of persistence, underpaid/unpaid slogging, and old-fashioned hard work...Anyone who's not ready to put in the time and effort to make it happen doesn't want it bad enough, if you ask me..That said, it's just a reality that a lot of really good writers can't sell enough articles or reviews to make ends meet. It's a sad fact, and a result of the state of the industry: there is a virtually infinite supply of people who want to write, and very few outlets that make enough profit to pay someone a livable salary, let alone an entire staff. However, there are tons of opportunities for people who are willing to write on the side, or in their spare time..You might not be able to buy a house or car with your earnings, but it’s very reasonable to expect to get free games, free entrance to industry events, early info and first-looks, access to developers who would be otherwise unavailable, and a lot of other things along those lines-- not to mention the personal satisfaction of developing a reputation, establishing contacts, and becoming someone who's known and notable in the field..It's often said these days that fame is more important than wealth, and writing about games may be the perfect opportunity to prove that true. Keep your expectations realistic and don't be afraid of hard work, and you will definitely get where you're going-- AND If you can't do those things, then STFU and leave the field with grace. If nothing else, show some respect and do other up-and-comers the courtesy of not having to listen to your self-imposed sour grapes...

..Frequent readers of the blog may have noticed that I haven't been sticking to my every-other-day schedule lately. Since putting myself on a one-month deadline to finish the first rough draft of the book I'm currently working on, it's been a little tougher to juggle my time in the evenings. However, the upside is that progress is coming along just fine and all systems are go. As of right now I'm still on track, and I'm very happy about that..In other news…...Games: Still playing Shiren the Wanderer on Wii and still liking it..Although it's much more straightforward than Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer (DS) and has a few tweaks that I'm not too crazy about, it remains an excellent place to start for people who may not be familiar with the Roguelike genre. I could also imagine some children getting into this and enjoying it (I'll test it out on my son when he comes for the summertime) and as a gaming parent in favor of appropriate gaming with children, I'm of the opinion that we always need more titles like this....Games: On the portable right now, I'm still making my way through Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes on the DS, and still loving every single second of it. I really, really regret not getting the chance to play this game last year. Without a doubt, it would've been on my top-ten list, and is most definitely the best puzzler to have been released in ’09. I know I'm treading dangerously close to ‘annoying broken record’ territory by mentioning it as many times as I have, but they just don't come any better than this, folks. For those of you who remember what an unknown game Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords was, Clash of Heroes is Puzzle Quest all over again. Get in on it now, and you can be one of the cool kids by saying you beat it before everyone else even knew about it....Games: Although I've had more than my fill of talking about Mass Effect 2 since my extremely popular and well-regarded reviewhit Metacritic, I have to admit that I'm not quite ready to let the topic go. Getting right to the point, I've been thinking about the way homosexual relationships were removed for the most part, and what a disappointing choice that was..As a straight, middle-class family man who is most often assumed to be white, I'm not exactly the poster boy for talking about minority groups or those who might be disenfranchised by a larger society. However, I most definitely believe in equality for all and I feel like if we are ever to make any headway as a society, each one of us has to stand up and talk about issues that don't seem right, even if they don't affect us directly..

Mass Effect 1

.Now, it's granted that BioWare doesn't owe anyone anything except to produce a high-quality end product. Looking past BioWare and at the games industry in general, I am not a believer that developers have any kind of ethical obligation, or that they have a responsibility to include political or social statements in their software. If you ask me, developers are free to do whatever it is they want to do, and it's up to the consumers to decide who they want to support.

.With those cards on the table, I have to admit that it was still bitterly disappointing to see that BioWare, who has effectively been the leader in promoting the acceptability and choice of alternative relationships in videogames, has now backpedaled and stepped away from the forefront. In Mass Effect 2, players who choose a male character can only choose to have romantic encounters with female characters on the ship. Players with a female character can only have relationships with male characters, aside from a brief lesbian quickie, which doesn't qualify as a true romance option in my view..I'm quite puzzled as to why the option to have a true gay or lesbian relationship was not included. Although the original Mass Effect wasn’t plentiful with its options (lesbian only, if Liara T’Soni is counted as female), it strikes me that their trend appeared to be generally toward more inclusiveness. Looking at their other recent hit, Dragon Age: Origins, characters have the option to have both hetero and homosexual relationships regardless of whether their character is male or female. All options are available, not to mention the humorous encounters at the kingdom’s brothel..

Dragon Age: Origins

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Going back further, 2005’s Jade Empire (Xbox) also supported both hetero/homo choices. Having demonstrated a willingness to ‘go there’ before, why shy away from it now? Scanning the BioWare forums, there has been some mention that Commander Shepard is a ‘pre-defined’ character, so I suppose players are meant to assume that the possibility of being gay is not within "his" personality. However, this flies in the face of giving players the option to create the kind of character they want (male/female/appearance options) on top of the devs’ frequent insistence that players can play Shepard the way they want. (Except gay.).Furthermore, I find it somewhat hypocritical that having a homosexual relationship with someone of the same species is not allowed when so many of the ‘acceptable’ options are with aliens-- who may or may not actually be as male or female as they appear. After all, who's to say what the definition of a Turian male is, or what a Quarian female has in her pants? There's even a few mentions in the game that the biologies of these alien love interests may be toxic or unhealthy in an interspecies situation, which gives an entirely new definition to the term ‘safe sex’. These aliens, although humanoid in shape for the most part, have bizarre mouthparts, things that may or may not be gills, strangely-textured skin, and who knows what underneath their armor, and these are the ‘acceptable’ options? I find it hard to understand the rationale behind giving a player the option to have sex with a being of questionable gender and potential toxicity while completely ruling out another being of the main character’s own persuasion.,I don't presume to know for certain the thought process behind why this aspect of Mass Effect 2 was crafted the way it was, but I do know that I found it incredibly disappointing and almost cowardly, in a way. Including comprehensive alternative options wouldn't take away from the experience of anyone who chose not to partake of it, and would serve only to let gamers of varying orientations feel more included. I can’t honestly see a downside, and can't think of any justifiable reason why such options weren’t included given the content of BioWare’s previous works – In the absence of such logic, I would hate to assume that BioWare felt it acceptable to include alternative options in its ‘also-ran’ titles, only to remove them and ‘clean up’ its most important franchise..I hate to say it, but the phrase ‘second-class citizen’ comes to mind...

..Games: I've been spending most of the last two days playing Shiren the Wanderer on the Wii..If you've been reading this blog for while, you may remember a week or two when Shiren on the DS (A.K.A. Mystery Dungeon) was all I was talking about, and for good reason- it was fantastic. Thanks to the great people at Atlus, people who enjoyed that title as well as those who have yet to discover its charms will now get the opportunity to continue the saga..I'm not going to spill too many beans since I am working on a full review, but for those of you who aren't familiar, Shiren is in the niche ‘Roguelike’ genre. Basically, the meat of gameplay is dungeon-crawling in randomly-generated levels while picking up and using whatever weapons, equipment and items get dropped by enemies or found in rooms. Through tight rationing and clever management of resources, the end goal is making it to each dungeon's exit-- easier said than done, though, since the difficulty of these games tends to be quite steep, and one of the hallmarks of the genre is losing all equipment and being reset to level 1 upon death..Yes, in most cases it actually is as harsh as that sounds..Not so in this Shiren, though. Although traditionalists may cry foul, players do have the choice of keeping their levels and items upon death-- the only penalty in such case would be reversion to their most previous save. In the Roguelike genre, that is a HUGE concession towards players who might not have the patience or willingness to grit their teeth and bear the pain. Honestly, I see this as a smart and necessary maneuver given today's landscape, and I'm glad the choice was made..More on Shiren the Wanderer later....Games: Just before starting Shiren, a good friend and totally decent human being hooked me up with a copy of Dark Void. (Thanks, man! You know who you are.).In case you missed it, I interviewed the development team a little while ago. You can read that piece here, but basically the title was put together by the people behind the supremely awesome Crimson Skies (Xbox) in conjunction with Capcom. All about a guy fighting aliens with a jetpack, Dark Void seemed like there was no way it could go wrong. I mean, based on these elements, I would've put any amount of money on it being an absolute home run. Dev team with flight experience? Goopy aliens? Capcom? JETPACK? I mean, it's WIN right?.Wrong..In total, I think I spent around three or four hours with Dark Void, and that was three or four hours too many. The scripting and characterizations were awful, level designs were uninspired, far too much time was spent in subpar on-foot gunplay, and the jetpack itself felt slow and dull… not at all the kind of breathtaking, seat-of-your-pants action one would expect..Although I'm quite disappointed to report it, Dark Void is one of those sad games that really doesn't have a single thing to recommend it. It was so bad, in fact, that I could not force myself to keep playing and had to abort plans for a review… I couldn't justify spending the time....Games: In other disappointing news, I finally got around to playing the multiplayer Aliens vs Predator (360) demo which is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace..I really hate it when developers put multi-only demos up for many reasons, but primarily because multi modes don't give the player any sense of what the 1P experience will be like (*koff*Bionic Commando*koff). I rarely play multiplayer modes unless they are story-based co-op and have an ending, so in general, I don't glean much from setup like this. Still, being the Aliens/Predator fan that I am, I gave it a shot..Wow, talk about unimpressive. The only mode available was a standard deathmatch that apparently could not be launched with fewer than eight people. It took me several attempts to actually get into a game, and once I got in, there wasn't much to keep me..Playing the role of an alien the first time, it took me a little while to get the hang of the controls. I probably could've done it a lot sooner if I wasn't being blasted to xenomorph bits every few seconds, but I eventually figured it out and was not thrilled. It was very disorienting to be able to crawl on the walls and ceilings, and I couldn't help but think that there could have been a smoother way to transition the camera during surface shifts. Besides that, I felt quite underpowered. The human marines were able to easily pick me off at a distance, and the few times I was able to close in, my claws and tail weren’t nearly as lethal as I would have hoped. It also seemed as though the alien should've been able to run a lot quicker than it does, given that it's limited to melee attacks. In any event, that was a spectacularly un-fun session and switching to being a predator wasn't much better..This is definitely a case of a demo cooling off my level of interest in the full title, and as of tonight, I've downgraded it to my ‘check it out when it's $20’ list. An early leaked Game Informer review (I love you guys, seriously!) pegged the game as a 5.75/10, so apparently this demo is at least partially representative of the full game’s quality…...Games: My last game bit for the night, if you haven't already come across it, I’d like to give a shout-out to a blog I've been following pretty regularly as of late-- Peter Skerritt’s Consoleation. Pete does a great job of taking a look at the business side of the industry, and he’s been totally on-point when it comes to the changing power dynamics between publishers and consumers. What he says on his blog about DLC and online transactions lines up almost exactly with how I see things. If I didn't know better, I'd swear the guy has been reading my mind... If you've got the time and interest for another blog dealing with intelligent game talk, give Consoleation a shot....Writing: The second book is now in the home stretch. I've done some calculations, and if I can stick to the schedule I've got laid out for myself, then the first draft should be complete in a month or less. Not much else to say at the moment, but I felt as though saying something about it officially here on the blog would be a good way of reinforcing the commitment to myself since it's now out in the open. If a month has gone by and I haven't made any official announcement about the draft being done, feel free to drop me a line and check up on me… ^_^..

..Games. Comics. Music..Every self-proclaimed geek worth his salt thrives on these things, so put them all together and the result has to be something fantastic, right?.Kirby Krackle is a local Seattle-area band with one album under their belt, and another on the way. Absolute up-and-comers to watch, their tune-filled mash-ups of popular culture are smart, sassy, and absolutely on-point. They also prove my hypothesis to be true...If you haven't heard any of their songs, pop on over to THEIR SITE and listen to the entirety of their first album – for free. (Of course, after you listen to it, pony up the money and pay for the whole thing... it's absolutely worth it.).The courageous men of Kirby Krackle were gracious enough to take the time to answer a few questions for me, so without further delay -- here's what they had to say....Alright, guys…who is Kirby Krackle?.Jim Demonakos: We're a Nerd Rock band based in Seattle. There's two of us, myself and Kyle Stevens.....What is Kirby Krackle all about? What's your mission?.Kyle Stevens: Kirby Krackle is music for YOU. We got together to make songs about all the stuff we loved in pop culture, specifically comic books, video games, girls and generally things that are awesome. We're both fans AND songwriters, and like other fans, we really enjoy thehuman element to comics and what metaphors are used; whether it be super powers or crazy situations and how they relate to everyone's everyday experience. As songwriters, our job is to take that and turn it back to the people in the same way. Our mission is to take the human element of the comics we love and send it back with the same amount of enthusiasm as the stories we write about give us....As you said yourself above, Kirby Krackle is most often described as ‘Nerd Rock’. Why do you think that fits?.JD: Yeah, that's the label we put on ourselves, so I think it fits quite aptly. We make songs, real, true rock & pop songs, but with lyrics that are all about our interests, which are things a lot ofpeople are in to..KS: Yeah, "Nerd Rock", "Geek Rock", "Songs about guys that wish they had powers" works well too!...How did the two of you guys get together?.JD: Kyle's a comic book fan, which is how we met, I own some stores in Seattle and he's a customer, so we’d always talk both music and comics. At some point, both of us lamented the fact that there were really no good comic book songs out there and figured we had enoughnerd knowledge between the two of us to make something happen..KS: Yeah, we're both idea guys in the fact that we think what is something that has never been done that we would freak out about if it came around. We have the best time simply just making the songs and sitting around trying to find the funniest rhymes we can and the most inappropriate as well. People would probably be a little disturbed and offended if they could actually sit and listen in on our writing sessions.....For those who may not know the term, can you explain where you got your name and what it means? Also, what were your runner-ups?.JD: Kirby Krackle is the name of the 'dots' that Jack Kirby drew on all his art, specifically from his legendary run on Fantastic Four, to signify things like energy or bursts of power..KS: Ever since Jim's business partner, Brian, came up with the KK name and since he did it early on, that's really been the only option. That's surprising, because usually the naming process is living hell and no one is fully happy with the the compromised result. "KirbyKrackle" just rolls off the tounge and now that I think about it's weird it was that easy..JD: I guess we could make something up to sound interesting? Ok, we were first called "Mutant Camel" (the classic 1983 atari game (yes, it's a real game!))..KS: Then "Morlock Panties.".JD: Then we tried "Badrock and the Rockettes," but realized we had noladies in the band..KS: Yeah, that's true. After we nixed "The Quinjets" we settled on"Kirby Krackle"...In your creative process, who does what? Is it pretty much that one of you does the music and the other lyrics, or is it more collaborative than that?.JD: It's definitely more collaborative, we pretty equally write the lyrics, I man the computer and sit in front of Word, while Kyle has his guitar, and we go back and forth over every little bit of song, playing every little bit so that the huge amount of lyrics that we cram in to each song can fit..KS: Its a good melding of each of our own strengths, Jim as an editor/comic industry pro and my many years of songwriting/recording experience form a geek-tastic VOLTRON that we hope people feel they can invite into their homes. Besides the broken ceilings obviously....On your first album, there is a very sweet, tender song that I had a very strong emotional response to. Can you tell me a little bit more about ‘Teabagged’ and where it came from?.KS: Well, it really comes from us not being very good at Halo. Since I'm no Halo master, getting teabagged happens to me often. Also because I am no Halo master, this means that many times I have to do this to others who I finally kill to make me feel better. As you cansee, it's a vicious circle of disfunction that needed to be documented in song. I love also how some people get so angry about it and find that really fascinating. As with "Zombie Apocalypse" the only way it could be interpreted is via ukulele and steel drums. I laugh every time someone hears it for the first time and look at us like we're freaking crazy.......On ‘Marvelous Girls’, you work in a fantastic number of shout-outs, but were there other ladies you wanted to include but didn’t? And what about girls from other comic houses? They need love too, don't they? (And whoever added in the line about the Skrull-girl’s chin is SICK.).JD: Yeah, we could have gone on forever with that song, we narrowed it down to ones we thought would have funny follow-ups, like the Genoshan Girl and how her island was blown up. There were definitely a whole lot of girls left out of this one, but we've rectified that to anextent with our new song, "Roll Over," which includes another crazy amount of shout-outs....‘Naked Wii’. True occurrence, or fevered fantasy?.JD: A gentleman never tells....You guys do a great job of covering both comics and games in your songs. It's screamingly obvious that you guys are both the real deal in terms of fandom, so what are some of your favorite titles from both pastimes?.JD: From games, recently been playing Fallout 3 (still), dipping my toe in to Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin's Creed 2, playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Batman: Arkham Asylum (of course, comic games!), playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii with my girlfriend (that co-op can be really frustrating! :), also looking forward to Bioshock 2. Plus, Ilike casual games for when I need to just kill a few minutes, like PopCap's Peggle or things like Castle Crashers. Also, just downloaded Marvel vs. Capcom 2, so putting in a bit of time with that as well..On the comics end, too many to list, though I'm lovin' anything Johns touches over at DC, especially Blackest Night. Looking forward to Siege at Marvel, lovin' Remender and Aaron's respective Punisher books there as well. Invincible, Chew, Walking Dead, Deadpool, Blade of the Immortal, Usagi Yojimbo, I could go on forever. I read a lot of comics..KS: I've been playing a lot of MW2. A LOT. I'll admit, I might be obsessed. As for older games, Zelda, 1942, Double Dragon, Contra, 8-bit Nintendo FTW!.Comic-wise, I'm a huge fan of The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. Best zombie comic out there, period. I also couldn't be more excited that they're making it in to a TV series, it really depends on who they cast as Rick, but I know I'll be there. I'm also a big X-Men fan, so I read pretty much all the X-books, and I'm really enjoying Green Lantern over at DC as well.....So you guys are back in the studio as we speak. How's that going?.KS: I'm actually answering these questions between studio sessions. Recording is going great, and we hope this album excites our fanbase in a new way while at the same time reaching the rest of the world who doesn't know about us yet. If you like the direction that the new songs, like RING CAPACITY and GOING HOME were taking, you'll love the album. We're looking at mid-March release.....Open mic. Do you have anything else outside of the band to plug, anything else you want us to know? This is Kirby Krackle’s chance to be heard. Let us have it..JD: The only thing I have to plug is the Emerald City ComiCon, the comic book & pop culture convention I run in Seattle coming up March 13-14, 2010 - KK will be there manning a table as well as performing and the show will have a bevy of cool comic guys, media guests and more..KS: If you like our songs I also have another few releases I've put out in the past year on iTunes. My solo album is called "Songs From The Orange Room" and a short lived project called COLLIDER (self-titled) is on there as well. Personally, I can't wait for the 2010 con season and the awesomeness we both feel it's gonna bring. See you out there!...You absolutely will guys. You absolutely will….Infinite thanks to Jim Demonakos and Kyle Stevens for taking the time, and keep an eye out for their upcoming album titled ‘E for Everyone’. After hearing a little snippet of it, I can say that it's going to be just as killer as their first. For more information on this next set, check in with Kirby Krackle at their website, or check back here at Coffeecola for the announcement...

..Apologies for the lack of timely updates lately..Since Mass Effect 2 came out, I've been burning the midnight oil to get it done in a decent amount of time... had to put a few things on hold and reshuffle priorities for the last week or so, but I completed the game tonight and will be getting my schedule back on track starting tomorrow...Working on the review as we speak, but I will say that the second “half” of the adventure plays a hell of a lot stronger than the first. The end sequence is especially gripping, and finally brought back a lot of the emotional tension that I felt was missing from much of the game. It doesn't change the fact that I still feel as though the developers made a lot of WTF alterations to the game design, but it was very heartening to see that the team got their act together and delivered a real showstopper to close things out..The Mass Effect magic isn't gone, the devs just take more than their sweet time getting around to it, and make the player work a little harder to find it...